Rob’s European Vacation 2009

So I have finally arrived back in Vacaville and it’s now 2 in the morning and jet lag has officially hit me.  I’m wide awake and exhausted at the same time…oh the pain of having to go to Europe for a month! haha

So my trip wrapped up with a quick stay in London.  I caught the 7 am bus (4 Euro) from Rome’s main train station to Ciampino airport and caught a RyanAir flight to Stansted in London.  From there I took a 10 pound coach to my hostel.  The hostel was nice enough and I got ready and everything packed up so when I got up at 5 am I wouldn’t make too much noise.

The following morning my great trip back started.  It was quite an ordeal.  I ended up loosing my Oyster card going from one Underground station to another and didn’t see an attendant so I kind of just barged through when some guy went in.  Well the guy that went in was actually the attendant and I didn’t know until I saw him with a walkie talkie cuz he was dressed all normal with a normal jacket on and everything.  He preceded to yell at me and I had to literally ask him what he was saying like five times cuz his accent was so thick, lol.  Then he yelled at me and said I was on CCTV and was a “criminal”.  I was in such a rush to get to the Paddington station to catch the Heathrow Express that I said, “That’s ok, I’m leaving the country anyways.” hahaha.

So I got to Heathrow, through customs and security and of course my flight ended up leaving an hour late.  I finally get on the plane and we take off, a full 10 hour flight to Houston.  I slept a little here and there but nothing of substance.  The food was delicious though!  Pot roast, mashed potatoes, chocolate crunch bars with caramel, ham and mozzarella sandwiches, etc.  I don’t know what it is about Continental but I love their food, lol.

So after a long 10 hours and watching two movies (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and The Day the Earth Stood Still) , a couple TV shows (Friends, the Office, The New Adventures of Old Christine, etc.) and actually playing Centipede, we landed  in Houston.  I had a 90 minute layover and grabbed my first fast food in a while…Wendy’s.  YUM.  Then I got on my next flight and took off for another 4 hour flight to SFO.

Finally I landed in California…which had me thinking I should have written on here the day before that I was “Goin back to Cali, Cali, Cali…” But of course I missed the boat on my LL Cool J reference.  So anyways I landed, got my bag and hopped on Bart.  Called my awesome mom and she picked me up from the Concord station.  Ok, just so you can all know how awesome my mom is, she packed a lunch for me because she didn’t know if they fed us or not!  How sweet is that?!  My mom rocks!  I love you mom!

So I finally got home at about 8pm.  And that’s after I woke up at 9pm PST the night before.  So literally from the time I woke up to get ready to go, to the time I got home was 23 hours.  Can you say, OUCH.

First thing I noticed when I got home though..my “tiny” apartment appeared HUGE to me.  It’s funny how small it seemed before and how big it seems now. I guess having no personal space for a month can change your views on that.  Besides that it was just nice to be home..but quiet!  I so got used to other people being around…but I’m not complaining, this is awesome.

Finally a conclusion of my adventures, here are some things I learned on my trip:

• I am minuscule when it comes to this planet.  I am one among billions.  Yet what I do affects others, as what they do affects me.  Be good, waste not and be happy.  Life is good.
• Not only am I minuscule in respect to this planet, but so are my problems.
• Traveling alone has it’s advantages and it’s disadvantages.  I didn’t mind it overall, however I’d prefer to share it with someone next time.
• If I go for more than two weeks in the future, I’m buying a cell phone and SIM card.  I hated not having normal communication with family and friends.
• The United States needs public transportation.  We are far too reliant on cars.  And speaking of which, I almost exclusively saw tiny hatchbacks except in parts of Germany where I saw a ton of BMW’s.
• Americans should be taught two languages from grade school on.  I feel like an idiot that I don’t know a second language as fluently as most Euros do.
• Changing currencies sucks.  You loose money everytime.
• The next time I go, I’m going to less places but staying longer and seeing more.  I think my trip was very rushed and I spent a lot of time on trains.  Yet at the same time I saw a ton of things that I’m extremely grateful for…
• Future places to go: Barcelona, Versailles, Neuschwanstein, Murren

Finally, I’d like to thank each and everyone of you for coming here and reading my thoughts on places and seeing the pictures.  I kept this journal as much for you as for myself…to remember all the little details and experiences.  I immensely enjoyed this trip and will remember it for the rest of my life.  Thank you and happy trails!

Cinque Terre…what more can you say but amazing, wonderful, beautiful, awe-inspiring…

I loved this area so much four years ago that I knew I wanted to come back and in good weather so I can do all the hiking I didn’t get to do before.  Iam so glad I did!  I had a great time there, even if my hostel was a bit out of the way and it took me six trains to get there!

So my trip to Cinque Terre started out a bit off.  I was supposed to catch the early train at seven thirty out of Interlaken so that I could get the fastest connections and all that jazz to Cinque Terre.  Well I woke up one minute before the train was supposed to leave!  Ooops.  Lol…well that was too damn early anyways!  I’m on vaction for crying out loud!

So I woke up, ate breakfast and took my time.  I left and grabbed the nine thirty train out of Interlaken and like I said, had six trains to get to La Spezia.  I also had a two hour layover in Domodossola which is this dinky town right over the border in Italy.  I walked around for a bit and went into the local grocery store to grab something.  Ended up with some Coke Zero (it’s crack and I blame it all on my coworker Lisa!) and some crackers.  That ended up being pretty much the only thing besides breakfast I’d eat that day.  No wonder I’m losing weight like crazy.  So far I’ve had to tighten up my belt by one belt hole.  Anyways…back to the trains.  I ended up in La Spezia just in time to catch the last bus to the hostel which was in a town called Biassa, high up in the hills above La Spezia.  That was the last bus for the day too which means you’re probably stuck up there all night.  I got to the hostel and met some other people there and watched Something About Mary with them.  Then we all headed to our rooms and I ended up catching up Survivor that I had downloaded in Munich and Switzerland..lol.

The next day I got up and got the bus down to Riomaggorie.  We all waited there for the trains and that’s where I learned there was a major rail strike the day before.  Thankfully I didn’t get too delayed but that’s probably why it took so long the day before.  So we hopped on the train and headed to Montorosso. We all got off and because a couple of them were just going to chill out for the day I said my goodbyes and took off for the trail.  The hike between all five towns is about six miles long with varying degrees of difficulty.  I choose to take the hard part first and I’m glad I did because it was only getting hotter and by the time I got to Vernazza, I was sweaty and beat.

In Vernazza I took a bit of time and relaxed, enjoyed the views, had some pizza and gelato (I LOVE GELATO) and continued on my trek.  By the time I was done with all five towns, I was exhausted, but I was also accomplished and happy that I got to see some of the most beautiful area and be in the Italian sun for a few hours.  I just love love love this area!

So I caught up with some of my hostelmates again and we hung out for a bit before the bus took us back to Biassa.  Once there I grabbed a quick shower and got all the salt off of me.  Then I settled down for the night and easily had a good nights rest.

I already miss Cinque Terre.  I’ll be back I’m sure, how could I not!

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